A color that hasn't been popular since Ronald Reagan was president is expected to command attention this year.

Emerald got the green light as Pantone Color Institute's color of the year, and while it's competing with several shades of green for favor, especially this spring, much thought and research went into the selection.

Emerald the gemstone continued to gain interest in the jewelry industry, and high-end designers sent the color down the runway last September during the spring 2013 shows.

Now retailers and brands are playing up the color on bedding, cookware, furniture and decor, as well as in clothing, accessories and beauty products. Last fall, General Motors unveiled a Chevrolet convertible concept car in a color it calls unripened green.

Shades of meaning

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone Color Institute, said she saw evidence of a revival of the gem-hued color as she traveled the world. All the pieces for a new “it” color seemed to be coming together.

“For us, we always look at the history of color,” she said.

When a color has been absent for a long time, it returns looking new, fresh and different, she said. Yellow greens have held court for years and are still popular, but the nature of fashion is to regularly show the consumer something new.

Green has been celebrated as a social cause, and that's even more reason to bring another green back into prominence, she said.

“For that reason, we thought the timing was perfect,” she said of naming emerald the color for 2013.